Silk winding machine



July 27, 193 7.

W. W. BRANDLI ET AL S ILK WINDING MACHINE Filed July is, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet .1

5w .fl 6 r 1; 27a 7 a Z v As WM Z Filed 'Jfily 13, 1 956 w.-w. BRANDL I. ETAL SILK WINDING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 27, 1937. w. w. BRANDLI ET AL SILK WINDING MACHINE 6 shee cs-shet 4 1 Filed July 15, 1936 mJu QUHVQ i and Ju ly27, 1937. v k w. w. BRANDLI ET AL 2,088,150

.SILK WINDING MACHINE Filed July 13, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 July-27, 1937. w. w. BRA-NDQ ET AL 1 2,088,150 I SILK WINDING MACHINE Filed July 13, 1936 6 Shets-Shet e Patented July 27, 1937 SILK WINDING MACHINE Wilhelm Woehr Briindli and Hans Gengler Reitmeier, Habana, Cuba Application July 13, 1936, Serial No. 90,438

, 1'7 Claims.

This invention is directed to a silk winding machine wherein the filaments are drawn from their original source, compacted into thread and wound into a conventional form for further use.

The primary object of the present invention is the provision of means whereby the filaments are drawn from the cocoons in any desired number, compacted into a thread and delivered to a winding apparatus to be wound into appropriate form for subsequent use; the construction of the machine permitting the use of any selected number of filaments within the limits of the machine to thus provide for forming a selected thread.

A further object of the invention is the prosivion of means, controlled by the integrity of a filament, to insure automatic replacement in the thread being formed of anew filament following exhaustion or breakage of the filament from a particular cocoon.

A further object is the provision of means for automatically replacing a cocoon receptacle, the filament of which has been exhausted or broken, by an additional receptacle containing a cocoon and provided with means whereby the filament from such cocoon may be automatically supplied to the twister head or thread forming detail, to therebypermit continuous and substantially uniform thread formation, notwithstanding the breakage or exhaustion of a filament or filaments during the operation.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means to interrupt the thread winding operation and stop the operation of the machine in the event the thread should be broken intermediate the twister head and the winding.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is an elevation of the machine constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a broken plan view of the upper portion of the machine.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view on the line 45-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing more particularly the twister head and the means for automatically adding a new filament r I to replace a broken or exhausted filament.

Figure '7 is a perspective view of the cocoon receptacle.

Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the filai filament is automatically supplied to the twister head to replace a broken or exhausted filament, the connection between the filament and element being illustrated.

Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the filament connected element in a predetermined position on the filament receptacle, this view also illustrating a broken perspective of the elevator. with the filament connected element in dotted lines thereon to illustrate the means by which the new or additional filament is automatically delivered to a position to permit it to be subjected to the action of the twister head.

Figure 19 is a top plan view of one form of the means for automatically controlling the release of a cocoon receptacle, the filament from which has become broken or is exhausted, to permit such receptacle to be replaced by a fresh receptacle, this form of mechanism being electrically A controlled.

Figure 11 is a broken perspective View of the control mechanism shown in Figure 10.

Figure l2 is a broken view in elevation, partly in section, illustrating the control means shown in Figure and further illustrating the position of said control means in releasing a cocoonreceptacle in the left hand position of the figure and in holding a cocoon receptacle in operative position in the right hand portion of said figure.

Figure 13 is a broken plan view showing another form of controlling means for the position ing and release of a cocoon receptacle, the means in this form being entirely mechanical.

Figure 14 is an end View of the same.

Figurelfi is an edge view showing the support and filament controlled arm of the mechanism shown in Figure 13.

Figure 16 is a perspective view of the same.

Figure 1'7 is a broken View in side elevation, partly in section, illustrating the means through which the cocoon receptacle release element is operated.

Figure 18 is an enlarged View of the cam control shown in Figure 1'7.

, Figure 19 is a plan view, partly in section, showing the cocoon receptacle release element and the means for operating the same.

Figure 20 is a perspective view of the conical roller around which the thread is passed between the twister head and the winder.

The improved apparatus is supported in appropriate skeleton framework, indicated generally at l, and made up of bars and like parts of approriate lengths to form a frame of desired height til and width to accommodate the mechanism. Power for the operation of the various parts is derived from a suitably driven power shaft 2 which, through gearing indicated generally at 3 and a connecting shaft l, operates drive shafts 5 and 8 arranged at the respective ends of the frame.

A number of cocoon receptacles 1, shown more particularly in Figure '7, are provided to receive the cocoons indicated at 8, which receptacles are partly filled with Warm water in which the cocoons, previously softened and brushed in the usual manner and for the usual purpose, are placed. Each receptacle is supported in a base 9 formed in one edge with a notch if! presenting an abrupt shoulder if, for a purpose which will be hereinafter described.

Each receptacle is provided with what will be hereinafter termed an element lifter, indicated at I2 and shown more particularly in Figure 8. This element is preferably of wire having a main length l3, oppositely branching arms I4 at one end of the main length, and an elongated loop l5 at the opposite end. The silk filament l6 has one terminal wrapped about one of the arms l4, being preferably led through a guide I! carried by and projecting above the receptacle intermediate the lifter and cocoon. The edge of the upper open end of the receptacle 1 is formed with notches it in which the terminal portions of the arms M of the lifter are positioned and temporarily held, the length of the main body being such that when so positioned the loop l5 of the lifter projects beyond the wall of the receptacle for a purpose which will later appear.

As thus arranged, each cocoon is mounted in a receptacle having a base 9 with a lifter to which the terminal of the filament is connected, with said lifter normally held in a fixed position on the receptacle but freely removable in the upward direction.

Supported for travel lengthwise the frame in the forward portion thereof is an endless conveyor belt is trained over a pulley 2 fixed on the shaft and over a pulley 2i idle on the shaft 6. Mounted longitudinally of the frame and inwardly of the conveyor belt is with respect to the front of the apparatus are spaced shafts 22 and 23, arranged in the same horizontal plane, the former next the conveyor belt being idle and the latter driven from the shaft 5. On the respective shafts 22 and 23 are mounted belt rollers 24 disposed in aligned pairs transversely of the frame and in spaced relation on the shafts.

Over each pair of rollers is arranged an endless belt 25 and supported at each side of the belt are upright guide strips 26, fixed to an appropriate frame part. The strips 25 of each belt 25 are spaced apart to more or less accurately receive the cocoon receptacle base 9, so that each belt 25 and strip 26 define a runway of which the belt constitutes the movable bottom with the runway disposed at right angles to the conveyor belt l9. As many runways are provided as are desired or necessary and the upper or operating plane of each belt 25 is on a horizontal level with and leads from a point immediately adjacent the conveyor belt l9.

Supported froma bracket 21 extending forwardly from a rear upper frame bar I is the twister head, illustrated more particularly in Figures 5 and 6. The twister head includes a sleeve 28 extending through and above and below the bracket 27 and secured to the bracket by a set-screw 29. Bearing sleeves 30 are mounted on the sleeve 28 above and below the bracket, and on the bearing sleeve below the bracket is rotatably mounted a pulley body having an upper cable receiving groove a lower belt receiving groove A second pulley body 35 is mounted on the upper bearing sleeve 353 and is formed with a lower cable receiving groove 35 and an upper belt receiving groove 36. Brackets 3i and 38 project from the frame bar l supporting bracket 27 in the same direction as and in spaced relation to and on opposite sides of the bracket 2?. These brackets support idle pulleys 39 and 4G respectively, the former being provided with a cable groove ii and a belt groove 52, and the latter provided with a belt groove 43. An overhead shaft 4 3 driven by a belt l5 from the power shaft is provided with a pulley 38 over which is trained a cable 47 which passes beneath idler-s t8 and cooperates with the cable groove 23 in the lower pulley body 34 and the belt groove 62 of the pulley 3d. The belts 5?: and 54 are arranged so that the fingers 53 and 55 project substantially horizontal from their supporting belts and move in the same vertical plane, these belts being operated through the driving detail described, so

that their forward phases, that is the length of the belts toward the front of the apparatus, move in opposite directions, each traveling toward the twister head.

Fixed to the lower pulley body 3% of the twister head, preferably by threaded connection 56, is a conical element 5'! terminating in a slightly flaring roller end or mouth 5% having a knife edge 5%. Secured in the reduced mouth end is a transverse partition til having a central opening 6|.

Supported on a post 52 rising from the bracket 21 are pulleys 63 arranged on arms it adjustable on post 62 to define a triangular path over which loosely passes a slender tension guide thread or wire 65. belt 56 ranging over a pulley 51' on the shaft 44.

An inverted U-shaped frame it is clamped to the frame bars above the tension thread 65, in the lower end of the forward portion of which is supported a shaft 69 on conical roller 70, the shaft being driven by a belt "H which is trained over pulleys on said shaft 69 and on the shaft l"). Supported on a cross frame bar, indicated at l2 in Figure 4, which is mounted for longitudinal movement, is a clip l3 having a forwardly projecting eye in which swingingly mounted a guide rod 74 having a terminal eye or loop '55. A shaft 76 is supported in the frame 58 and on the shaft is loosely supported a spider l'l, the arms of which are connected by cross bars 78 forming a conventional winding reel.

The shaft 78 is driven by sprockets and chain '19 from the shaft 69. As thus far described, the operation is as follows:

A plurality of equipped cocoon receptacles "l are delivered from a side table onto the conveyor belt 59 and then in a series of rows onto the belts 25 and moved toward the rear of the machine until the advance cocoon receptacle is in- One of the pulleys is driven from a 5- .ch is mounted a .3.

terrupted by an element engaging the notch III and cooperating with the shoulder ll to accurately position the receptacle. In this position, as more particularly shown in Figure 2, the loop ends l5 of the lifters i2 overlie one of the side runway strips 28 and project into the space between the runways. The filaments from several of the receptacles are, at the start of the machine, disconnected from the lifters, intertwisted by hand, pass s. a twisted element up through the twister head, being then wound several times about the tension guide wire 65, then led over the conical roller lil, then through the loop it of the guide i l, and terminally. secured to a hook on the winding reel. With the apparatus in operation, the filaments, fed from the independent cocoon receptacles, are compacted in the twister head, passed over the tensioned thread guide and onto the winding reel. As

, the thread to be properly placed on the reel must be fed lengthwise of the reel for the desired distance, the frame bar 52 is connected by a link and eccentrically to a disk 81 driven from the shaft M, as particularly shown in Figure 1. This causes endwise travel of the guide bar '14, as indicated in full and dotted lines in Figure 3, thus properly placing the thread on the reel. 7

In order to provide for stoppage of the parts in the event the thread should break, the winding reel which, as stated is loosely mounted on the shaft 16 is provided with a clutch element 32 designed to be normally engaged by a clutch element 83 keyed for sliding movement on the shaft 15. The clutch element $3 is designed to be moved to unclutching or disconnected rela-,

tion with the clutch 32 on being attracted by an electro-magnet fi l energized through a circuit including wires t5 and 85 energized from a suitable source, the terminals of which circuit extend as'spaced Wires in a plane below the guide arm 74, as indicated at t? in Figure 3. If the thread should break during winding, the guide [4, which has been supported above the terminals 81, drops, bridges the terminals, closes the circuit to: the electro-magnet, and frees the Winding reel to interrupt further winding movement.

During the operation of the machine, the liability of breakage'of the filament and the certainty of exhaustion of the filament of a particular cocoon or cocoons, requires that means be provided by which the broken filament or the exhausted filament may be replaced automatically without cessation of operation. As will later appear in the description, means are provided for releasing any particular cocoon receptacle from its operative position and replacing itby a freshlycharged cocoon receptacle. Operative in each space between the runways in which the cocoon. receptacles are placed is an elevator formed by an endless belt 38 traveling throughout a triangular path including lower belt rollers 39 supported below the path of travel of the belt 25, and an upper belt roller 96 supported above the twister head, with the belt roller supported on a shaft 91 driven from the drive shaft 5, as shown infFig'ures 1 and 2.

The elevator belt 88 is provided with hooks 92 which move upwardly on the forward flight of the belt in a path to engage in the loop 15 of the lifter E2 of the properly positioned cocoon receptacle. Theelevators, of which there is one for each space between the runways, are so positioned that their forward flights or portions pass in advance of and somewhat closely adjacent the fingers 53 and 55 of the belts 52 and 54, as more clearly shown in Figure 5.

Assuming now that a filament is broken or has become exhausted, and that the release mechanism to be described has permitted the displacement of the particular cocoon receptacle by a fresh receptacle. Immediately following such position, the lifter of the fresh receptacle picked up by one of the hooks oi the elevator carried upwardly, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 9, the filament picked up by the fingers 53 or $5, broken from the lifter and carried into contact with the twister head. The cone element 51 of the twister head is provided with outstanding radially disposed arms Q3 which pick up the thread filament from the fingers or 55, twisting it around the inverted cone and finally about the other filaments entering the twister head to thereby include the new filament in those already in position. As the new filament enters the twister head, the excess length previously wound about the cone is cut off by the knife edge 59 of the cone.

As previously stated, means are provided controlled by the tension of the fed filament to release the cocoon receptacle in operative position on failure of the filament tension therefrom, in order to permit the advance of a fresh cocoon receptacle for the automatic pick-up of its filament by the elevator, as previously described.

This release means is shown in two forms, that illustrated in Figures 16, 11 and 12 being electrically operated and that shown in Figures 13 to 19, inclusive, being mechanically operated.

In the electrically operated form shown in Figures i0, 11 and 12, a bracket Sid is supported upon an appropriate frame bar and in turn pivotally supports a lever 95. The forward end of the lever carries a latch tit, the notch ill of which engages in the bifurcated upper end 98 of a trip arm 9 pivotally supported at mil on a forward extension Hit of the bracket t l. The opposite end of the trip arm extends into the space between the receptacle runways and has a lateral projection it? designed to pass through an opening in the adjacent plate 26 and project into the path of the shoulder l l of the notch it of the receptacle. The lever is held in this position by a spring Hi3.

Swingingly supported on a further extension 18401? the bracket 96 is an arm ltd, the forward end of which is in position to be engaged by the filament from the cocoon when the latter is under. proper feeding tension. The pivotal support tilt; of the arm m5 is arranged at an incline, so that the forward end of the arm Hi5 will swing downwardly and laterally by gravity if the tension of the filament fails. That end of the arm 8% beyond the pivot N36 is formed with an eye ill"! to loosely receive a stern Hi8 depending from the insulating body iiitlof a switch. Secured upon the upper endof the body m9 is a metallic section ill! curved laterally and provided with spaced arms I i i designed in the operative position of the switch to be passed into independent cups ii containing mercury. The mercury cups normally form a break in the circuit H3 leading to an electro-magnet H 5 positioned to attract the adjacent end N5 of the lever 95. A stop H6 carried by the bracket support for the pivot m6 1 trip arm terminal I02 in engagement with the shoulder I I, and the arm I05 is held by the tension of the filament in a position to maintain the switch arm inoperative. When for any reason the filament fails to maintain this tension, either through breakage or exhaustion, the arm I85 gravitates laterally and downwardly, moving the switch element to close the circuit to the electromagnet, energize the latter, and attract the end of the lever Q5 to cause it to move by means of the latch the trip arm 9?: to release the particular advance cocoon receptacle for replacement by the next fresh cocoon receptacle which automatically of course is engaged by the lateral projection I82 and held in operative position.

The mechanical means for releasing the operative cocoon receptacle is illustrated more particularly in Figures 14 to 19, inclusive. In this form, an arm I If is positioned to be engaged and maintained in a definite position by the tension of the fed filament it. This arm has a depending right angled end H8 rockingly supported in a knife joint I I9, with the movable member of such joint carrying a weight lfil displaced from its gravital position when the arm ill is under the tension of the filament. The terminal H3 has a rearward extension 62! having a terminal eye l22 loosely engaging one end of a pivotally supported wire length l23, the opposite end of which has a terminal eye E24 loosely engaging the end of a second wire length arm I25 pivotally supported intermediate its ends. Mounted in a support below the rear terminal of the arm M5 is a shaft I26 carrying a cam i2? and driven by a belt 23 from a shaft of the machine. A second shaft I29 is mounted in horizontal alignment with the shaft 26 and has fixed thereon a roller I35. The relation of the cam 52f with the surface of the roller I38 is such that they are just free of contact, so that the rotation of the cam shaft will not normally operate the shaft iEQ.

Depending from the rear end of the arm I25 is a spring lti to which is secured a cord I32. When the arm ill is under the tension of a fed filament, the rear end of the arm E25 and therefore the depending part of the cord 132 is in a position laterally of the operative plane of the cam ill! and the roller 538. When the filament tension on the arm l l l is relieved through breakage or exhaustion, the weight lft acts to move the parts so as to swing the thread I32 laterally between the cam l2? and roller l ll. The next revolution of the cam will therefore drive the roller I35 to the limit of the cam extent, thus turning the shaft i259. Secured upon the shaft i253 is a disk I33 on which is eccentrically connected a link I34 terminally connected adjacent a particular runway to a crank 83% for turning a shaft I36 carrying a pinion I87, which pinion engages a rack bar 33 normally engaging the slot I I and operative in the rotation of the shaft I25 to release the particular cocoon receptacle and permit a fresh receptacle to be advanced and engaged by the rack bar.

A spring I 39, see Figure 13, returns the shaft I29 and thereby the rack bar 538 to normal position when the roller I38 is free of the influence of the cam I21.

From the above description, it will be apparent that on failure of the filament from any particular cocoon receptacle, the latter receptacle is released to be replaced by a fresh receptacle, the filament of which is picked up by the elevator and compacted into the thread being formed, as previously described. The discharged cocoon receptacles are delivered by the particular belt 25 onto a transverse belt I40 mounted on belt rollers I4I on drive shafts 5 and E with that on shaft 6 fixed to the shaft and that on shaft 5 idle, to cause the displaced cocoon receptacles to be delivered laterally of the machine onto the adjacent table from which they were originally taken and thus permitted to be freshly charged.

The lifters l2 picked up by the elevator are carried over such elevator after the filament is broken or pulled therefrom and dropped into a chute I42, see Figure 4, which is inclined in one direction or the other to provide for gravital discharge of said lifters for reuse.

If desired, an electric heater I43 properly energized may be arranged beneath the winding reel, as in Figure 4, to properly dry the thread being wound.

It is understood that there is a lifter for each space between the runways and a release mechanism, which may be of either form described, for each runway. If desired and as indicated more particularly in Figure l, a comparatively large number of runways may be provided and the feeding belts, indicated at 52 and 54, may be duplicated by obvious duplication of pulleys and mountings to insure that the filament automatically picked up by any elevator will be delivered to the twister.

The invention as a whole provides means for spinning a filament from a cocoon, compacting a number of such filaments into a thread, winding the thread in proper form on the reel, automatically replacing a broken or exhausted filament by a fresh filament, and automatically controlling the operation of the machine in the event of thread breakage.

What is claimed to be new is:

1. In a silk winding machine, a cocoon receptacle open at the upper end and a filament lifter connected to a terminal of the filament and having a predetermined relation to said receptacle, said filament lifter being freely removable from the receptacle and having an eye projecting laterally beyond the receptacle, a twister head above the lifter, and a lifting means intermediate the lifter and twister head to engage the eye of the lifter and carry the same and connected filament upwardly for delivery to the twister head.

2. A silk winding machine including a plurality of cocoon receptacles, a twister head for compacting the filaments taken from said receptacles, means controlled by the tension of the thread filaments for holding the operative receptacles in a predetermined position, mechanism for releasing the holding means on the failure of any filament to release the particular receptacle, means for advancing a freshly charged receptacle to replace the released receptacle, and means for automatically lifting the thread of the fresh receptacle to the twister head for winding the same into the strand being formed.

3. A construction as defined in claim 2, wherein the means for lifting the filament of the fresh receptacle includes a filament lifter and an elevator.

4. A construction as defined in claim 2, wherein the means for lifting the filament of the fresh receptacle includes a lifter connected to the filament, an elevator for engaging and carrying upward the lifter and the filament, and means for directing the lifted thread into cooperation with the remaining filament in the twister head.

5. A construction as defined in claim 2, wherein the means for lifting the filament of the fresh receptacle includes a lifter connected to the filament, an elevator for engaging and carrying upward the lifter and the filament, and belts having projecting wire fingers to engage and carry the lifted filament toward the twister head.

6. A construction as defined in claim 2, wherein the means for lifting the filament of the fresh receptacle includes a lifter connected to the filament, an elevator for engaging and carrying upward the lifter and the filament, and belts having projecting wire fingers to engage and carry the lifted filament toward the twister head, and arms on the twister head to wind the lifted thread filament into cooperation of the remaining filaments in the twister head.

7. A construction as defined in claim 2, wherein the lifting means includes an element supported on each filament receptacle and connected to the filament thereof, with such element having a terminal eye, and with the elevator provided with hooks to engage such eye and lift the filament from the receptacle.

8. In a silk winding machine, a twister head including an inverted conical body mounted for rotation having a reduced lower end terminating in a knife edge and a partition within the reduced lower end above the knife edge formed with a central opening.

9. In a silk winding machine, a twister head including an inverted conical body mounted for rotation having a reduced low-er end terminating in a knife edge, a partition within the reduced lower end above the knife edge formed with a central opening, and radial projections extending outwardly from the conical body to direct succeeding filaments into a position to be compacted into the filaments being operated upon by the body.

10. In a silk winding machine, a twister head including an inverted conical body mounted for rotation having a reduced lower end terminating in a knife edge, a partition within the reduced lower end above the knife edge formed with a central opening, a pulley element supporting the conical body, and belts extending in opposite directions from the pulley element and provided with wire fingers to direct successive filaments to the conical body.

11. A silk winding machine including a plurality of runways, a successive series of cocoon charged receptacles arranged in each runway, means for maintaining'the leading receptacle in a predetermined position in each runway, a twister head forv compacting the filaments from selected receptacles, a moving guide around which the completed strand is wrapped above the twister ceptacle in predetermined position, said means in the absence of filament tension releasing the particular cocoon receptacle, and means forming part of the runway for advancing the next succeeding cocoon receptacle to operative position. 14. A construction as defined in claim ,2, wherein the mechanism for releasing the holding means of a particular cocoon receptacle is electrically controlled.

15. A construction as defined in claim 2, wherein the mechanism for releasing the holding means of a particular cocoon receptacle is mechanically controlled.

16. A construction as defined in claim 11, in-

cluding a guide element movable axially of the a winding reel to properly direct the thread being wound on the reel.

1'7. A construction as defined in claim 11, in.- cluding a clutch means for controlling the operation of the winding reel, an electro-magnet acting when energized todeclutch the reel, a. thread guide movable axially of the reel to properly place the thread on the reel during the winding operation, and a circuit for the electro-magnet closed by the movement of the thread guide in the absence of thread tension to the reel for stopping the reel on breakage of the thread.

WILI-IELM WOEI-IR BRANDLI.

HANS GENGLER REITMEIER. 

